1.
sharp; keen; razor-sharp
Extremely sharp, with a finely honed edge or point. Used primarily for bladed objects like knives, swords, and tools. More formal and precise than the everyday word 鋭い.
Combines 鋭 (sharp/keen) and 利 (advantage/sharpness), both reinforcing the idea of a fine, cutting edge. More formal and written than 鋭い, and used almost exclusively for physical sharpness of bladed objects.
Common collocations
Usage
Frequently appears in news reports and police descriptions when describing weapons or dangerous instruments. Unlike 鋭い, which can describe eyes, observations, or pain, 鋭利 is almost always limited to the physical sharpness of cutting instruments.